TEACHER SCORE 8 1990 Kremer Publications, Inc. CHRISTMAS 1
ABOUT THIS WORSHIP SERVICE Welcome to a color-filled Christmas worship service. Colors play a big part in our lives. God created color for our enjoyment as we view the wonders of nature=s colorful animals and plants. God also gave us color to represent our sin and salvation. Colors are often mentioned in scripture, from the reddest crimson to the whitest snow. This service includes five parts: an introduction and four presentations by different colors. 1. Introduction presenting the theme to the congregation. 2. SIN - color it red 3. GRACE - color it white 4. LIFE - color it green 5. RICHES - color them gold SONGS The theme song AChristmas - Color It Joyful@ is sung throughout the service, introducing each new section. Four other suggested songs are included. Feel free to add congregation hymns and carols throughout. VISUAL AID Four banner templates are provided for the front of church. All Scripture quotations in this publication are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 1997 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. The entire Christmas Color It Joyful service is protected by copyright: 1990 Kremer Publications, Inc., Butler, Wisconsin. CHRISTMAS 2
Christmas-Color it Joyful Processional: Congregation Song Invocation: Pastor Responsive Reading P: The prophets spoke in days long before the Savior came to this earth in human form. C: They clearly told the world time and again what to look for in the promised Messiah. P: Inspired Moses wrote in Genesis that Jesus would be born of a woman when he said, I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers. C: The fulfillment is clear in the words of St. Paul, God sent his Son, born of a woman. P: Inspired Isaiah foretold that Jesus would be born of a virgin when he said, "Therefore the Lord, himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son." C: The fulfillment is clear in the words of St. Matthew, "This is how the birth of Jesus came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit." P: Inspired Isaiah foretold that his name would be God With Us when he said, "The virgin will call his name Immanuel." C: The fulfillment is clear in the words of St. Matthew, '"And this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "And they will call his name Immanuel.'" P: Inspired Micah foretold the very place of Jesus' birth when he said, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." C: The fulfillment is clear in the words of St. Luke, "The shepherds said one to another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'" P: The inspired Psalmist, Solomon, foretold the visit of the Magi when he said, "The CHRISTMAS 3
kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts." C: The fulfillment is clear in the words of St. Matthew, "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came." P: The inspired Jeremiah foretold the slaughter of Bethlehem's children when he said, "A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more." C: The fulfillment is clear in the words of St. Matthew, "Herod was furious, and gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under." P: Inspired Hosea foretold that Mary and Joseph would flee to Egypt to protect the child Jesus when he said, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my Son." C: The fulfillment is clear in the words of St. Matthew, "So [Joseph] got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt." P: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit for clearly painting the divine picture of salvation for all to see. C: As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end. P&C: Amen Introduction: (Options: Recited by narrator; read by narrator; recited by several children as marked) Today we come to you as children have for many, many years. The time of year is the same. The anticipation is the same. The joy is the same. And above all, the message is the same. We are here once again to present the wonderful story about the Messiah. 1 Child The Lamb of God. 1 Child The Rose of Sharon. 1 Child The Root of David. 1 Child Immanuel. 1 Child The Bread of Life. 5 Children The Good Shepherd. 10 Children Our Friend. 20 Children Our Brother. All Children Our Savior! Narrator: This year we'd like to take you on a colorful journey through the Christmas story. Thanks to the blessing of color, we can now enjoy the perfect red rose, the pure white snow, the glistening shimmer of gold, and the luscious green fields. Our message today is called, Christmas-Color it Joyful! Because colors are important CHRISTMAS 4
to us, we would like to present the Christmas message in the most colorful way we know. Christmas is by far the most colorful time of the year. Just look around you and see all the wonderful Christmas colors. They're in the clothes we wear, the altar paraments, and the Christmas tree lights. Today we would like to take a close look at four of these colors. Not only will we behold their beauty, but we will see the great meaning they have for us. Our prayer today is that the message of these four colors will remain with us throughout the Christmas season and into the new year. Part I: Sin-Color It Red All children sing: Christmas is here-a time of cheer, We'll paint it joyfully; A rainbow bright of heavenly light, What colors do we see? First color s red-one we should dread, It shows the mark of sin. But crimson stain will not remain, A new life can begin. Red, red, red. Recitation: Isaiah wrote in his book, chapter one verse eighteen, "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord, 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.'" Narrator: Over 1,100 chapters are found in the Bible, but it took only the first three chapters to show how man sinned against his loving creator. Recitation: "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. The eyes of both of them were opened." Genesis 3:6,7. Narrator: People were now stained with sin, and this stain would now be passed down to everyone. Recitation: Psalm 53:3 says, Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Narrator: That means that you and I were born with this terrible stain of sin. Recitation: 1 John 1:8 declares, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves CHRISTMAS 5
and the truth is not in us." Recitation: Jeremiah 2:22 sadly admits, "Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the sovereign Lord." Children=s Song (Middle) Sleep, My Little Jesus Sleep, my little Jesus, On the bed of hay, While the shepherds homeward Journey on their way. Mother is your shepherd And will her vigil keep: Did the voices wake you? O sleep, my Jesus, sleep! REFRAIN: Softly sleep, sweetly sleep, my Jesus, sleep! Sleep, my little Jesus, While you are my own! Ox and lamb your neighbors, Shall you have a throne? Will they call me blessed? Shall I stand and weep? Be it far, Jehovah! O sleep, my Jesus, sleep! REFRAIN Sleep, my little Jesus, Wonder-baby mine! Well the singing angels Greet you as divine. Through my heart, as heaven Low the echoes sweep Of glory to Jehovah! O sleep, my Jesus, sleep! REFRAIN Prayer: (Option: may be recited by all children; may be read by pastor; may be read by one student) Lord, show me my crimson sins. Let the color red cause me to remember how hopeless I am to stand before your throne stained with my sins. Teach me how you have removed this scarlet stain so that I might stand pure and clean before you. Amen. CHRISTMAS 6
Part II: Grace-Color It White All children sing: Christmas is here - a time of cheer, We'll paint it joyfully; A rainbow bright of heavenly light, What colors do we see? Now in God's sight the color's white, A full atonement made. By grace I'm free eternally, The ransom has been paid. White, white, white. Recitation: Revelation 3:4 assures us, "They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white." Narrator: Now we hear the joy that Christmas is all about. God did not want us to keep wearing the dirty stain of sin. He sent Jesus to wash us so we could be sparkling clean and as white as snow. Recitation: And this is how it happened: St. Luke wrote in chapter 2, "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." CHRISTMAS 7
Children=s Song (Lower with signs) Mary Held Her Baby (Rock baby) Mary held her baby dear, Nestled him so very near, Smiled and gently whispered clear, I m holding you with two hands. (Folded hands held at chest level) Shepherds wakened in their sleep Ran and left their flock of sheep; For their silence could not keep To worship him with two hands. (Outstretched hands) And from countries far away Wise men brought their gifts to pay Tribute to the babe that day; They offered him gifts with two hands. (Palms raised as if giving blessing) Now I know that baby small Sleeping soundly in the stall, Would forgive the sins of all When nails would pierce his two hands. (Outstretched hands held out together with palms up) So tonight I clearly see All the things Christ did for me. I will fall down on my knees And give to him my two hands. Narrator: God's grace can easily be seen in the life of Jesus, from his birth to his ascension. Did you know that the Bible tells of two times that Jesus was wrapped in white cloth? Both times great events took place. Recitation: The first time St. Luke writes in chapter 2:7, "She wrapped him in strips of cloth and placed him in a manger." Recitation: And the second time St. Luke says in chapter 23:53, "Then he took Jesus' body down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in a rock." Narrator: But we know that three days later these white strips were lying in an empty grave because Jesus had risen. How happy we are to know that Jesus rose from the dead so that we will also rise pure and white. He promised that! Jesus said, "I am the CHRISTMAS 8
resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live." Congregation Song: Silent Night Prayer: Dearest Jesus, thank you for washing the stain of sin from us that we could stand before God's throne dressed whiter than snow. Help us to cherish the cleansing we received when you died for us on the cross. We are so anxious to see the dream come true that St. John wrote about in Revelation when he said, "Then I saw a great white throne and him seated upon it." Only you can make a wonderful dream like that come true. Amen. (Part 3 has been removed from these sample pages) Part IV: Riches-Color Them Gold All children sing: Christmas is here - a time of cheer, We'll paint it joyfully; A rainbow bright of heavenly light, What colors do we see? Last color's gold - great wealth untold, Because of love divine. I now can see God cared for me, The crown of life is mine. Gold, gold, gold. Narrator: One of the most enjoyable traditions we celebrate at Christmas is exchanging gifts. We often think of the wise men giving the baby Jesus the best gifts they could afford. Recitation: St. Matthew writes in chapter 2, "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi [came] from the east...and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.@ Narrator: And so our fourth and final color is gold. When we think of gold, we think of riches. Since the beginning of time, gold has been a sign of great wealth. Yet, no matter how precious it may be, it cannot begin to compare with the riches God has given to us. Let us see some of the wonderful blessings we now enjoy as members of God's family. CHRISTMAS 9
Responsive Reading: (Option: May also be spoken using students as "P" and congregation as "C" or vice versa) P: We thank God for the gift of spiritual knowledge. C: "I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God." Jeremiah 24:7 P: We thank God for the gift of a new heart. C: "I will give them an undivided heart, and put a new spirit in them." Ezekiel 11:19. P: We thank God for the gift of spiritual rest. C: "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. P: We thank God for the gift of eternal life. C: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hands." John 10:28. P: We thank God for the gift of a crown of righteousness. C: "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." Revelation 2:10. P: This is all because of God's greatest gift: C: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16. Children=s Song (All) Come, Hear the Wonderful Tidings Come, hear the wonderful tidings we bring: Bethlehem cradles a heavenly King! Come, sing His story, come, sing His glory Come, sing His story, come, sing His glory Jesus is born! Mary, the sweet Virgin Mother so fine, Tenderly comforts the infant divine; Her face is glowing with love o erflowing, Her face is glowing with love o erflowing, For her dear Son. CHRISTMAS 10
Angels from heaven are singing His praise; Shepherds in wonder and joy on Him gaze; Bringing Him honor, presents they offer, Bringing Him honor, presents they offer, Jesus, their Lord! Prophecy now is fulfilled in this hour; Darkness is scattered by heaven s great power. God s glory beaming, o er Jesus streaming, God s glory beaming, o er Jesus streaming, Shines through the night! Prayer: Dear Father, we're not able to understand your great love for us. All we know is that it is all around us. For all the blessings you have given, for Jesus, our Friend, for forgiveness of sins, for a place with you in heaven, all we can say is thank you. Amen. Offering, Prayers, Lord's Prayer, Benediction Recessional: Congregation Song CHRISTMAS 11